Statement by Ebrahim Rasool on the 3 MJC members who joined the DP

Statement by Ebrahim Rasool on the 3 MJC members who joined the DP

10 February 2000

Responding to many requests by the media for comment, I simply wish to make the following points:

Douglas Gibson of the DP is wrong in his assertion in parliament (9/02/2000) that the MJC has joined the DP. The President of the MJC Sheik Ebrahim Gabriels, has expressed his concern about this and has distanced himself from this in a statement.

Regularly before an election, our political opponents tout some or other Muslim leader as "prominent" and "senior" when they join their parties. This happened with Sheik Mogamad Carloo when he joined the UDM and Sheik Shaheed Satardien when he joined the NNP. The elections have come and gone, most Muslims voted for the ANC and these leaders are no longer visible, let alone prominent.

The attempt by the DP to utilise these Muslims for their political gain is not principled. As recently as yesterday, one of the three was in my office, asking for a post in the ANC, and when I discouraged this approach, he set off for the DP press conference to announce his DP membership.

The ANC remains confident that only we can continue to provide a better life and dignity for all people, including the Muslims. It is the ANC which fights - against the DP - for tenders and contracts for black business people, including Muslims. The ANC has fought for equal status for all religions, hence Muslims sit at the head of the Judiciary, the Auditing Process, in the Civil Service, the Government, etc.

The DP remains a party of white privilege and could only make place for one person of colour in the Legislature and the Cabinet.

At the end of the day, it is the right of any person to join any party - a right for which the ANC members and others died - but they don`t have the right to mislead people about who they represent.